A U.S. Navy sailor charged into and severly injured a group of Japanese pedestrians near Zushi Beach on July 9, 2022. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOHAMA, Japan — A Japanese court on Friday ordered a U.S. sailor to pay approximately $114,000 in damages for injuring four people during an incident near a popular beach in 2022.
A three-judge panel at Yokohama District Court found Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Krieger liable in a civil suit and awarded compensation to the victims based on the severity of their injuries, ranging from about $67,000 to $3,300.
The plaintiffs sought about $150,000 in total damages, their attorney, Masahiko Goto, told reporters after the verdict.
In September, a separate panel at the court’s Yokosuka branch convicted Kreiger on four counts of bodily injury stemming from a July 2022 incident in which he charged into a group of pedestrians near Zushi Beach.
The sailor pleaded not guilty in March 2024 but did not dispute the facts presented to prosecutors. His attorneys argued he was not liable due to a preexisting brain injury and severe intoxication — an argument the court rejected.
He was sentenced in September to 16 months in prison with hard labor, suspended for four years.
A three-judge panel at Yokohama District Court found a U.S. sailor liable in a civil suit on April 25, 2025. They awarded compensation to the victims based on the severity of their injuries, ranging from about $67,000 to $3,300. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
On Friday, the court dismissed similar defenses. Presiding Judge Takahiko Fujisawa said Kreiger may have been suffering from brain trauma, intoxication and a poor emotional state, but was still liable for taking out his frustration on the plaintiffs.
“It can be understood that the defendant impulsively directed his anger at strangers passing by,” Fujisawa said in court.
Neither Krieger nor his attorneys attended the hearing. His attorney, Takashi Takano, did not respond to a phone call or email seeking comment Friday.
Five people were injured in the 2022 incident. The most seriously hurt were a man with multiple sprained vertebrae and a woman with a broken upper jaw, nasal bone and other facial injuries.
Police initially recommended five counts of bodily injury, but prosecutors pursued four.
One of the four victims — a 61-year-old woman — told reporters after the hearing that it was a “satisfying result,” but added that her life had changed since the incident.
“I can’t go back to the normal life I had before,” she said. “Even though the lawsuit is over, I have to live with this the rest of my life.”
Kreiger, formerly assigned as a logistics specialist aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius, left Japan shortly after his conviction, Naval Forces Japan spokesman Cmdr. Paul Macapagal said by phone Friday.
He referred questions about Kreiger’s status to Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn. Stars and Stripes has reached out to the command for comment.
